journal article·2026-01

Bioinspired Hierarchical Radiative‐Phase Change Hybrid Cooling Composite with Record‐Breaking Cooling Power

Xinpeng Hu, Bingqing Quan, Zhanjin Shi, Xiangyu Zhao, Gangchen Lu, Yang Ding, Jiancheng Lai, Jinping Qu, Yucan Peng, Xiang Lu

Advanced Materials· Volume 38· Issue 5
Publisher page

Abstract

Abstract Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) offers a sustainable route to reducing cooling energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, conventional PDRC materials exhibit limited cooling power (<150 W m −2 ), insufficient for growing cooling demands. While integrating phase change materials enhances cooling capacity, to balance radiative cooling, latent heat, and heat transfer performances remains challenging due to their conflicting requirements. Inspired by the light scattering mechanism of nacre‐pearl systems, hierarchically microstructured radiative‐phase change hybrid cooling (RPHC) composites with a homogeneous morphology are developed via a water pre‐removal strategy. The composite combines a multilayered microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) matrix with core–shell phase change capsules (PCCs), achieving solar reflectivity of 0.969 and mid‐infrared emissivity of 0.958. Efficient PCC integration provides a high latent heat of 132.1 J g −1 . This nacre‐pearl‐inspired design enables a record‐high PRHC power of 226 W m −2 and an average temperature reduction of 10.1 °C below ambient. Applied to building envelopes, the MFC/PCC composite reduces cooling energy use by up to 4.4%, potentially cutting global CO 2 emissions by 1.22 billion metric tons annually. Overall, this work provides innovative energy‐saving materials for energy savings and carbon neutrality.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies · Urban Heat Island Mitigation · Building Energy and Comfort Optimization

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage Ministry of Education Hubei Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry and Service Failure and Hubei Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials and Medical Protective Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan Hubei 430074 P. R. China

Tachin Technology Co., Ltd Beijing 100094 P. R. China

National Engineering Research Center of Novel Equipment for Polymer Processing Key Laboratory of Polymer Processing Engineering Ministry of Education School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering South China University of Technology Guangzhou 510641 P. R. China

Department of Energy and Resources Engineering College of Engineering Peking University Beijing 100871 P. R. China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities · Key Technologies Research and Development Program

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